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Sulfur fire creates hell on earth for firefighters

That's what literally faced a volunteer fire brigade when they were called out to battle a sulfur fire in the US state of Wyoming.

The Worland Volunteer Fire Department was faced with "beautiful" but hellish conditions when a vehicle made contact with the sulfur mound at a recycling plant.

Video of the fire shows the purple flames running like a river down the banks of the mound while other sections get sucked up - forming tiny, mesmerising twisters - into the night sky.

However, the intoxicating display is, well, extremely toxic, with the flames producing a "hazardous gas called sulfur dioxide".

"Burning sulfur creates sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas that has a very strong, choking odor. The fire was burning in a 'bowl' shaped area, allowing all runoff to be collected in the fire area," the department said.

"A minimal amount of water was used to cool the surface of the sulfur and reduce the temperature below the molten stage."